What is ‘A House of Dynamite’ about? – The Financier
The plot of A House of Dynamitethe new thriller Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelowrevolves around—spoiler alert—U.S. missile defenses failing to shoot down a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile headed for Chicago.
The Pentagon agency responsible for the more than $50 billion ground interceptor system in Alaska and California designed to prevent such a scenario is not satisfied with the situation. The film, starring Idris Elba and Rebecca Fergusonhad a limited release in theaters and is now available on Netflix.
An internal memorandum of the Missile Defense Agency argues that the catastrophic scenario depicted in the film is inaccurate. The memorandum of October 16, of which Bloomberg News obtained a copy, seeks to ensure that agency leaders “are aware of the situation and are not surprised by the issue, which could arise in conversations or meetings.”
The object of the Missile Defense Agency’s anguish is the description of US missile defense as ineffectiveespecially in light of the fact that President Donald Trump wants to spend tens of billions of dollars on missile defense, including his proposal for a “Golden Dome” defensive umbrella.
The Pentagon comes out in defense of its anti-missile shield
The document, labeled “For MDA and War Department internal use only and not for public release,” is dated a day after nearly every member of the Pentagon press corps, including Bloomberg Newsthey left the building rather than agree to rules that could restrict newsgathering of documents like the MDA assessment.
It was prepared to “address false assumptions, provide correct data and a better understanding” of the currently deployed US system, he said. While the film “highlights that deterrence can fail, reinforcing the need for an active national missile defense system,” its fictional depiction also underestimates American capabilitiesaccording to the memo.
“The film’s fictional interceptors miss their target and we understand that this is intended to be a compelling piece of drama intended for audience entertainment,” but the results of real-world testing “tell a very different story,” the Pentagon says in the memo.
As guidance for questions about the cost of the system, the memo avoids mentioning a dollar amount, saying “the cost is high, but not as high as the cost of allowing a nuclear missile to attack our nation.”
A 2020 Government Accountability Office report indicated that the Pentagon had invested approximately $53 billion in the ground system and planned to invest about $10 billion this year to continue its development, production and maintenance. The system is managed by Boeing Co. and operated by U.S. Northern Command personnel.
Pentagon boasts total accuracy, but experts disagree
One of the central points of the memo is a line from the film in which the Secretary of Defense, played by Jared Harrisregrets that the current missile defenses They have a 50 percent chance of shooting down a missile despite their $50 billion price tag.
MDA says this is based on previous prototypes and that current interceptors “have demonstrated a 100 percent accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade.”
Experts debate it. Laura Grego, a veteran missile defense critic for the Union of Concerned Scientists, who has seen the film, said the scenario it describes is the least threatening possible: a single missile on a known trajectory. Military testing has been equally limited, he said.
“A robust defense should anticipate attack by multiple ICBMs and credible decoys, as well as direct attacks on missile defense elements, but none of this was part of the story of this movie,” Grego said. “You could say that the fictitious threat is very simple.”
The Pentagon declared Bloomberg News that he was not consulted for the film, which “does not reflect the opinions or priorities of this administration.” The system “remains a crucial component of our national defense strategy, ensuring the security of the American people and our allies.”
A Netflix spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Oscar-winning director defends her independence from the Pentagon
A rep for Bigelow noted his comments on the show Sunday Morning of CBS arguing that she did not seek the Pentagon’s cooperation.
“I felt like we needed to be more independent,” he told CBS. “But, having said that, we had several technical advisors who had worked at the Pentagon. They were with me every day we shot.”
The Trump administration has not revealed substantial details of its still poorly defined Golden Dome land, sea and space defensive shield. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, a four-star general leading the project, completed a plan for the program last month. The Pentagon declined to provide details on its scope or cost.
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